DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release (2008/0033) issued by The Government News Network on 17
March 2008
Twenty new test
sites for The Family Nurse Partnership Programme
Health Minister Anne Keen, with Children's Minister Beverley
Hughes, today highlighted the importance of child health for all
children and families and urged Commissioners to make a new health
programme a priority.
The new updated Child Health Promotion Programme (CHPP) builds on
the NSF that was published in 2004. It is intended to provide
services tailored to the individual needs of children and
families, acting as a best practice guide for health and social services.
The programme aims to,
- provide services tailored to
individual needs, risks and choices with a focus on reducing
inequalities
- provide greater emphasis on promoting the
health and well being of children early - in pregnancy and
beginning of life
- encourage partnership working between
different agencies on local service development (e.g. general
practice and children's centres)
- focus services on
changing public health priorities - obesity, breast feeding,
social and emotional development
Anne Keen said
"The Child Health Promotion Programme
should be a universal service for all children and families and
must be taken seriously. Commissioners need to recognise that
this can be a valuable tool for meeting their obligations on
breastfeeding, obesity prevention, infant mortality and the
12-week antenatal assessment.
"A high quality programme will help them meet these vital
requirements, but also help to improve general health and well
being among children and families in our communities."
At the launch of the updated programme, Beverly Hughes also
announced details of 20 new sites which will test the Family Nurse
Partnership scheme - a £30million expansion of an initiative which
forms a core part of the CHPP.
The partnership is a model of intensive nurse-led home visiting
for vulnerable first time young parents which involves family
nurses visiting young, disadvantaged young parents from early
pregnancy until the child is two years old. Nurses build close,
supportive relationships with families and guide inexperienced
teenagers to adopt healthier lifestyles, improve their parenting
skills, and become self-sufficient.
The Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCFS) and
Department of Health began been piloting the programme in April 2007.
Children's Minister Beverley Hughes said:
"Families
don't operate in silos, and so neither must services. That is
why this Government has invested almost £2 billion into Sure Start
Children Centre's, which bring together under one roof,
healthcare, family support and childcare to all families.
Harmonising CHHP through children's centres will make sure
that families receive these services when and where they need them.
"The CHHP is aimed at preventing health risks such as
obesity, smoking, as well as promoting breastfeeding, and
supporting parents to help children in those crucial early years.
"The expansion of the Family Nurse Partnership scheme will
also be delivered through children's centres and there has
been great local interest in this programme with over 50 PCTs and
Local Authorities wanting to take part. As part of the £30million
cash boost to this programme, a further 20 programmes will be
available to help and support families. I'm pleased to hear
that progress is being made by the current ten pilot areas over
the last year. We still have much to learn about the programme but
I look forward to seeing the full evaluation due out later this year."
Cabinet Office Minister Ed Miliband said:
"The Family
Nurse Partnership is a great example of a service that
'Thinks Family'. It provides tailored and sustained
support to young and vulnerable families, building on strengths to
help parents achieve their potential and give children the best
possible start in life.
"I am delighted that this programme is being expanded so
that even more families across the country can benefit. "
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The new updated Child Health Promotion
Programme (CHPP) can be found at http://www.dh.gov.uk
- PSA delivery agreements
This updated CHPP has been designed
to support delivery of a range of cross government Public Service
Agreement (PSA) indicators including:
- PSA Delivery Agreement 12 - Improve the health and wellbeing of
children and young people: Indicator 1, Prevalence of breast
feeding at six to eight weeks; and Indicator 3, Levels of obesity
in children under 11 years.
- PSA Delivery Agreement 13 - Improve children and young
people's safety: Indicator 3, Hospital admissions caused by
unintentional and deliberate injuries to children and young people.
- PSA Delivery Agreement 19 - Ensure better care for all:
Indicator 4, The percentage of women who have seen a midwife or a
maternity healthcare professional, for health and social care
assessment of needs, risks and choices by 12 completed weeks of pregnancy.
- PSA Delivery Agreement 18 - Promote better health for all:
Indicator 3, Smoking prevalence.
Details can be found at http://www.hmtreasury.gov.uk
2. The Family Nurse Partnership scheme was announced in October
2007 and was piloted at ten sites.
The 20 new test sites chosen for the Family Nurse Partnership
Programme are Sunderland, Cumbria, Liverpool, Blackpool, Leeds,
Hull, Nottingham, Calderdale, Stockport, South Birmingham,
Coventry, North East Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Islington,
Lambeth, Hastings and Rother, Milton Keynes, Plymouth, Cornwall
and the Isles of Scilly and Southampton.
3. The funding for the expansion of the Family Nurse Partnership
from the Comprehensive Spending Review will be split as follows:
£5m in 08/09; £10m in 09/10; £15m in 10/11.